


Untangle Me

by Ambeebee23



Category: The Wiggles
Genre: F/M, I don’t even know, Slow Burn, The Wiggles - Freeform, Unusual Commoners, Yes this is The Wiggles, give it a chance?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2020-07-24 21:24:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20021266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ambeebee23/pseuds/Ambeebee23
Summary: One night could change your world forever, or at least, that's what Molly Gilbert has always heard. After reluctantly agreeing to a night out with her friends, Molly's life gets turned upside down when she meets Lachlan Gillespie. The two seem to click right away, but will past experiences keep Molly from opening up her heart to the man who could possibly be her soul mate?





	1. McGuire's Pub

**Author's Note:**

> This is way out of the norm for me, but I happen to be a preschool teacher with a classroom of toddlers who love The Wiggles and this sort of just happened? I don’t even know. This isn’t going to be a typical Wiggles fic, if those are even a thing? Ahh, just give it a chance, yeah? Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated! :)

"Come on, Molly, you never do anything fun! It's only one night, and it wouldn't be the same without you!"

Molly sighed as she rolled her eyes at her coworker and friend. "That's not true, Hannah. I do plenty of fun things.." She muttered as she continued to straighten up her classroom. Due to the rainy weather outside, she'd been forced to keep her toddlers inside, and they'd practically trashed the room out of boredom. Ahh, the life of a preschool teacher...

"Pffft, sure you do. You work and you babysit. And when you're not watching kids, you go home and watch Netflix, am I right? Don't even try to deny it. Besides, what is one night out going to hurt?" Hannah asked. Her brow was raised as she gave Molly a smug smirk. She was right and she knew it.

Molly sighed and opened her mouth to speak, but she was quickly cut off by her friend once more.

"You haven't even had a night out since you broke up with Asher…"

Molly tensed a bit as she turned to look at Hannah. A hard glare was evident in her eyes. "That's not fair." She said firmly. Molly hadn't had the best relationship with Asher, and though it took so long for her to admit it to herself, breaking up with him had been the best thing she'd ever done for herself. But, it still was painful. She'd spent years with him, and it was hard to just let all of that go.

Hannah frowned at the look on her friend's face. She was regretful of her words, or rather, how she'd put them. She knew Asher was a tough subject for Molly and she should have never brought him up. Still, she knew a night out with her friends was exactly what Molly needed, even if she didn't see it. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you, that's all. You're always doing things for others, but you never do anything for yourself. I think a night out is just what you need. "

Molly sighed as she placed the last stray toy on the shelf. She really just wanted to go home and have a relaxing night in, but perhaps there was some truth in what Hannah was saying. "You know what...fine, I'll go. But just this once, okay? And you have to promise not to harass me about going out again."

A bright grin spread across Hannah's face as she nodded eagerly. "Deal! We're meeting at McGuire's pub at 8:30, don't be late! I swear you're going to have the best time! You won't regret it!"

…..

And so that's how Molly found herself seated at a table with Hannah and Sophie, surrounded by drunk people and loud Irish music. If she was honest, this wasn't her cup of tea and she longed to go home, but she didn't want to disappoint her friends. So, she sipped idly at a glass of wine and took in her surroundings the best she could.

Sophia and Hannah had gotten lost in their own conversation, and though Molly knew they weren't trying to exclude her in any way, she felt like a third wheel and didn't want to butt into the conversation. Using the excuse of getting a second glass of wine, Molly stood from the table and made her way toward the surprisingly less crowded bar and took a seat. She let out a quiet sigh as she pulled out her phone from her pocket and began scrolling through her notifications. She quickly got lost in her own little world until she was interrupted by the feeling of an arm wrapping around her waist.

With a gasp, Molly looked up to see the smiling face of a man about her age, maybe a bit older. "There you are, Sweetheart, I wondering where you'd gotten off to." He said in a thick Australian accent. His bold actions and words earned a look of complete bewilderment from Molly. Who was this man and what the hell did he think he was doing?

"I…" Molly started, but she paused when the man leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"Just play along...The man beside you slipped something into your drink. " He whispered, causing Molly to tense. She did her best not to look at the man beside her or her drink. Instead, she forced a smile and looked up at the oddly familiar man.

"Hey! Just thought I'd wait for you at the bar." She told him. Molly wondered if her face betrayed her confusion, and perhaps her fear. She really hoped not, though she did have a hard time controlling her expressions.

"Good call." The man replied before looking to the bartender. He ordered himself a Guinness before turning his attention to Molly. "And what do you want, Love?" Damn this man was laying it on thick, wasn't he?"

"Oh,um, just water with lime please." She said to the bartender, forcing a smile. She wanted to get away from this whole situation, but it seemed she was rather stuck. If she walked away now, it'd be quite clear to the man who attempted to drug her that she wasn't with the man who was being far too familiar with her for her liking.

Thankfully the man seemed to note Molly's discomfort, so he removed his arm from her waist before reaching for her hand. "Want to step outside a bit?" He asked her in a whisper, to which Molly nodded as she quickly slid off the barstool, not letting go of her water for a moment. She kept a hold of the man's hand as they weaved through the crowd of people and headed straight toward the outdoor seating area.

Molly was apprehensive about going outside with this man, and understandably so. She didn't know him, she didn't know his intentions. Still, he had saved her from something horrible, and though looks could be deceiving, he seemed completely harmless.

As they stepped out into the cool autumn air, Molly let out a shaky breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Her hand was still holding on to the man's hand as he led her to an empty table toward the back of the patio.

"I'd let you keep it if I didn't need it." The man teased with a grin as he gently eased tugged his hand away from Molly's grip.

Molly felt her cheeks burn with a blush and she quickly stuffed her hand into the pocket of her skinny jeans. She cleared her throat and took a seat at the table. "Sorry about that...Uh, thank you for...back there. I should have been paying more attention." She said.

A soft smile tugged at his lips as the man took a seat across from Molly at the table. "It's alright. I can tell your mind is a bit preoccupied. I'm just glad I got to you before you took a sip." He said. His smile faded slightly as the gravity of the situation seemed to hit him. However, his smile quickly returned as he offered his hand to Molly once more. "My name's Lachlan, uh, but my friends call me Lachy."

Molly slipped her hand into his and shook it gently, her smile mirroring his. "It's nice to meet you Lachy, despite the circumstances. I'm Molly." She couldn't help but wonder why he seemed so familiar to her. There had to be somewhere she'd seen him before, though she couldn't think of where. It wasn't really all that common to see an Australian in Folly Beach, South Carolina…

Molly was once again pulled from her thoughts by the sound of a muttered curse. She looked at Lachy to see an apologetic look on his face. "I have to go. My set starts in ten minutes." Molly must have had a confused expression on her face because Lachy gestured toward the door as he continued. "My uh, my band. We're playing next. I'm sure they're wondering where I'm at. Uh...You could come with me if you want? I'm sure it'd be okay for you to stand where out guitar cases are…"

Molly nodded slowly. "Oh, of course. Yeah, you should go." She said, smiling a bit. "I have friends here, actually. And they're probably wondering where I went. I should go find them." She explained.

Lachy gave her a curious look, and Molly figured he was wondering why she'd separated from her friends, but thankfully he didn't question it. Instead, he scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I see. Well, uh, if you're planning on staying for a while, would you like to have a drink after the set?"

Molly hesitated for a moment before she responded with a nod. She didn't know this guy, she really shouldn't be agreeing to spend time with him, but she felt she owed him at least a drink. He did potentially save her life, after all. Besides, she was certain Sophia and Hannah would be in their own little world the rest of the night anyway if they hadn't found guys to dance with already, that is. "Sure, that sounds nice." She said, offering him one more smile.

Lachy's smile brightened a bit as he offered her his hand, which Molly took against her better judgment and the two made their way back into the bar. After a quick 'see you later", they quickly went their separate ways, Lachy heading toward the small stage while Molly returned to the table with her friends. She wasn't even certain they had realized she had slipped away until Hannah gave her an accusing look.

"And where the hell have you been?" She asked her. "You slipped away to get another glass of wine almost 45 minutes ago!"

Molly bit her lip and held up her glass of water. "Uh, long story." She said as she slid into the chair she'd occupied previously.

"Mhmm, and who was that guy you were walking back in with?" Sophia questioned. A sly smirk tugged at her lips, and Molly had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"Just a guy I met. He kinda saved me from a potentially bad situation." She said with a shrug before she sipped the cold water. "Apparently someone slipped something into my drink." She held her hand up before her friends could begin freaking out. "Don't worry, I didn't drink any of it. Thankfully he was there."

"Molly, you have to pay attention. That's why it's better to stay with the group you came with." Hannah's voice was edged with annoyance, but Molly ignored it.

"Well, I'm fine." She left the conversation at that, not offering to say anything else on the matter as the sound of Irish folk music began to drift through the pub. Molly turned her attention to the stage, and her eyes widened slightly as she looked at the other people who joined Lachy on the stage. At least two of them seemed familiar as well, and she knew exactly where she'd seen them before.

"Molly, you okay?" Hannah asked, having noticed the strange expression on her friend's face. "I take it you recognize them?"

Molly looked to Hannah, her eyes were still wide with shock. "Why are the…"

Sophie interrupted Molly as she yelled out over the loud music. "They have 21 and up gig at Irish pubs and bars when they tour the U.S. and Canada, we thought it might be fun to go. We see enough of them at work, after all, maybe their adult shows aren't so bad. Oh don't look so put out, it's going to be fun! They sing Irish and Scottish Folk music from what I understand."

"But the damn Wiggles?" Molly asked, in exasperation. That's where she'd seen Lachy before. She'd seen him almost daily on the classroom TV for 30 minutes before the toddlers went down for their nap. The same man on stage, singing the first few lines of Loch Lomond was the same man who pretended to fall asleep in the most random places on her toddlers' favorite tv show.

"Well, their band is called the Unusual Commoners. But yes, three of them, at least are Wiggles." Hannah replied with a snorted laugh. "What, you didn't recognize him earlier?"

Molly's eyes widened again as the girls continued with their giggles. "You look shocked...We saw you step out with him, and no, we didn't think you knew who he was...You should get his number, he's a cutie." Sophie teased. Her words were slurred a bit, which told Molly she'd probably already had more than enough alcohol for the night.

Molly rolled her eyes and sipped her drink. She didn't dignify that comment with a response as she turned her attention back to the stage where the man she'd just spent almost an hour with was singing his heart out and playing the hell out of a guitar. She had to admit, he was good, very good.

"For a Wiggle." She murmured with a small smile as she settled in her chair to enjoy the rest of the set.


	2. Losing Track Of Time With You

The set was over before Molly knew it and she soon found herself making her way toward the stage area. She didn't bother to tell her friends where she was going, as she was pretty sure they already knew. She'd agreed to have a drink with Lachy, and she wasn't going back on her word.

As Molly approached the stage, her eyes searched the crowd for Lachy, who had stepped off the stage almost as soon as they'd finished playing.. It was a bit difficult with the multitude of people that were crammed in the small pub, but she finally spotted him and began to make her way over to him.

It didn't take long for Lachy to notice her coming his way, so he met her in the middle with a grin on his face. "Hey, you stayed." He said.

Molly nodded, smiling a bit at the man. "I did." She confirmed as she stuffed her hands in her pockets. An awkward moment passed between them where neither said a word but only looked at each other. Finally, Lachy decided to break the silence.

"So, still up for a drink?" He asked as he gestured toward the bar area.

Molly nodded. "I've had enough alcohol for the night, but I wouldn't say no to another water. It's absolutely stifling in here." She replied. She was surprised to feel Lachy's hand grasping her's as he began to lead her to the bar, once again against her better judgment, she didn't pull away.

"Water actually sounds quite nice, if I'm honest. The stage lights were warmer than I thought they'd be." Lachy mused. He then proceeded to order two glasses of water for them, remembering that Molly liked lime in hers, which came as a surprise to the young woman.

Once they had their drinks in hand, the two-headed back out to the empty patio to get some fresh air and to escape the noise for a bit. Rather than sitting at the table again, the two decided to stand at the railing of the deck which overlooked the dimly lit beach. A silence fell over them once more. Despite this, Molly found that she was oddly comfortable in this stranger's presence which made her wonder if that fact had anything to do with her knowledge of who he was. How had she not realized before?

It was Molly this time that broke the silence as she couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. She tried to hide it, but Lachy had noticed.

"Dare I ask what's so funny?" Lachy questioned, raising a brow as he looked to the woman beside him. This only made Molly laugh harder, especially when she saw the curious expression on his face.

"I'm s-sorry...It's nothing really. Just..." She paused as a fit of giggles hit once more and she was unable to speak until she regained her composure, which she was failing miserably to do. Finally, she was able to calm down enough to take a deep breath and wipe away the tears of mirth from her eyes. Poor Lachy still looked rather bewildered as he waited for Molly to explain herself. "I'm sorry, I probably look insane. It's just...It's..When I was asked to come here tonight by my coworkers, I wasn't expecting to see the Wiggles performing in a little Irish pub." She admitted.

"Ahh, I see. I would suppose not." Lachy mused, chuckling a bit as he shook his head. "So, I take it you have children?" His gaze dropped to her hand, which he found bare of a wedding ring. Before Molly could catch him, he brought his gaze back up to her face.

"Eight adorable, but rambunctious toddlers," Molly replied, a smirk tugging at her lips. It was all she could do not to start laughing again at the expression of shock on his face. "Relax, they're not mine. I'm a preschool teacher." She continued. " I'm actually surprised I didn't realize where I'd seen you before when we were talking earlier. We've been on a Wiggles kick in the classroom lately, and we've almost worn the DVD's we have out. Oh wow, and you're probably weirded out by that, aren't you? I'll shut up now." Molly said before taking a large sip of her water in an attempt to distract herself.

"No, why would I be weirded out?" Lachy questioned, his voice holding a tone of confusion. "It is my job after all. It seems like what we do for a living is quite similar. You said you have toddlers?"

Molly nodded. "Older ones and twos. They're a sweet age group, but they can be a handful at times."

"Oh, I'll bet." Lachy chuckled. "And eight on your own, I don't see how you do it. I'll admit I can keep them entertained, but as far as actually caring for that many children at once..." He let the sentence hang in the air as he shook his head.

"A little bit of patience and a whole lot of coffee," Molly replied with a slight smirk. "So, what brings you all the way to Folly Beach? It seems sort of an odd place for a Wiggles show."

"Well, we had a show in Charleston yesterday followed by today and tomorrow off, so we decided to book a gig here at McGuires's. Well, we as in Anthony, Emma, and I. We call ourselves the Unusual Commoners, I suppose. It's just a bit of fun, really. Something we do on the side, especially while on tour. Just to keep our sanity."

"Oh, I can understand that...Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my littles, but sometimes those songs get stuck in your head and they won't go away. It can be a bit annoying..." Molly bit her lip. Great, she'd just told him her kids listened to the Wiggles, and now she was saying the music annoyed her. He probably thought she was trying to insult his job, which was the last thing she was trying to do. "I mean...Sometimes I don't want to think about work when I'm home. It's not always easy, though." She was trying to make this better, but she wasn't sure she was being successful.

If Lachy had been insulted by her words, he didn't let on. Instead, he smiled and nodded his head in agreement. "No, I get it. You don't know how many times I've found myself doing something normal like making dinner or walking my dog, and the next thing I know I'm singing or humming one of the songs. More often than not it's Propeller." He chuckled and shook his head. "I promise it's not intentional, it just happens. I guess it's true that you really can't leave work at work."

Molly giggled a bit and nodded. "I suppose not." She mused before she took a sip of her water. A comfortable silence seemed to fall on them once more as the pair both gazed on the waves crashing against the beach. With the dim lighting of the surrounding buildings, Molly could see there were a few people walking along the edge of the water despite the coolness in the air. She found herself compelled to ask Lachy if he wanted to go for a walk as well, but before she could ask him, she was interrupted by a voice behind her.

"There you are, I've been looking all over for you! Sophie isn't feeling well and I was going to drive her home..."

Molly bit her lip and spared a glance to Lachy for just a moment before she turned to Hannah and frowned. "Is she okay?" She questioned. She was worried about her friend, but a part of her was quite disappointed that it was time to leave already. She'd been so hesitant to come in the first place, and she nearly faked the starting of a cold so she could get out of it, but now? She was enjoying herself and genuinely enjoying Lachy's company. She found she didn't want to leave, not yet. Though it had to be going on 11:00 or later.

Hannah nodded a bit. "She's fine, she just had a few too many and.. Well, you know how she gets." She looked at Lachy and smiled a bit. "I hate to interrupt, but we're leaving now, so..."

Molly bit her lip. "Well, I drove myself tonight, so if Sophie is okay, I think I'll stay for a bit." She said. This was against her better judgment. She knew she should exchange numbers with Lachy and just go home too. But she found that was the last thing she wanted to do. A smile tugged at her lips as she glanced at Lachy for just a second. She could see that he was smiling as well, and that just made her decision to stay that much easier.

Hannah, however, wasn't smiling. In fact, she seemed a bit perturbed by Molly's decision. "Are you sure that's wise? I mean, after what happened earlier... It's always safer to be with friends, especially at a bar. You never know what could happen." She had a lot of room to talk, they hadn't even noticed when Molly had left the table...

Molly chose her next words carefully, for if she hadn't, she knew she'd have insulted her friend. "I'm sure. I'm having fun, and you said yourself that I need to have more fun. I'll text you when I get home."

Hannah looked rather irritated. "Molly, come on. I think you should go home too. You don't need to be here alone..."

"She's not alone." Lachy finally spoke up, surprising Molly, and from the looks of it, Hannah as well. "Molly will be safe with me, and I'll make sure she gets home okay. You don't have to worry." He continued.

Hannah looked back and forth between Molly and Lachy, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Molly could tell she didn't know what to say, and it was sort of amusing. "Molly, are you sure?" She asked, glancing sideways at Lachy. "I mean, you don't really know him. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Molly nodded once more. "I'll be fine, Hannah. Look, I promise to text you when I get home." She didn't want Hannah to worry, but she wasn't going to leave just because her coworker decided to get three sheets to the wind and had to go home all of a sudden.

Hannah gave Molly a lingering look as she bit her lip. She glanced at Lachy as well, who only smiled politely, not offering to say another word. Finally, she let out a sigh and nodded. "Okay, make sure you do. I'll see you on Monday, I guess." She didn't wait for Molly to reply before she turned and headed back inside where Sophie was waiting by the door.

Molly shook her head a bit and turned back to Lachy. "Sorry about that." She apologized.

Lachy shook his head. "No, it's okay. There's no reason to let your night end because your friend drank too much. Though, correct me if I'm wrong, you weren't really interested in spending time with them anyway...Am I right?"

Molly bit her lip before she nodded. "I wasn't even going to come tonight if I'm completely honest. I'm not really one for going out, especially to bars. Hannah practically begged me to go out with her and Sophie and I just..I don't know, I agreed to get her off of my back." She admitted with a shrug. It wasn't entirely true, Molly used to love going out with friends, especially after work on a Friday night. But after she met Asher things changed. And when she had ended things with him she became even more of a homebody. Molly hated to admit it, but this was the first time she'd been out for fun in the entire three months since ending her relationship.

Lachy gave Molly a curious look. "And why's that?" He asked her. She could tell that Lachy wasn't prying, he was genuinely curious, but she wasn't sure she was ready to tell a man she met literally two hours ago her entire sob story, so she settled for a playful smirk in an attempt to lighten the mood and perhaps steer the conversation in a different direction.

"That's a story for another day." She replied before looking out at the beach. "You wanna go for a walk? If your Wiggle buddies won't miss you, of course." She teased.

Lachy chuckled and glanced at his phone to check the time. "I'll think I can steal away for a bit. Anthony and Simon will be having another drink or two before we leave anyway." He pocketed his phone before offering his hand for Molly to take, which she did once again, against her better judgment.

The two walked down the wooden steps and onto the soft sand of the beach. Neither of them was wearing the correct shoes for the terrain, but it was far too cool to walk barefoot. They didn't seem to care, however, as they walked for what seemed like hours, all the while talking about anything and everything. It was only when Lachy's phone began to buzz that they realized just how long they'd been out there.

"Shit, it's nearly 2:00 am..."He cursed before looking at Molly with an apologetic expression. "We should really head back. Anthony's texted me a dozen times wondering where I am."

Molly's eyes widened in realization. "2:00 am?! How on earth did it get this late?" In all honesty, it hadn't felt like it'd been quite that long, though you know what they say about time and having fun. She tried to hide the frown that was tugging at her lips as she nodded in agreement. "Right, yeah. We should..we should go back." She may have been able to hide the frown, but Molly was certain her voice betrayed her disappointment. She felt Lachy squeeze her hand gently and for a moment she smiled. Funny, she hadn't noticed that they hadn't let go of each other's hands the whole time either.

Lachy and Molly walked back to the pub in silence. Neither of them really knew what to say to the other. It was strange how well they'd gotten along, how easily they'd clicked in only a few hours. And now they would have to say goodbye. It was silly, but Molly found that she dreaded saying goodbye to him. Little did she know, Lachy was thinking the same thing.

Finally, they arrived back at McGuire's, which was far less crowded by now. As they made their way up the steps and into the bar, Molly attempted to let go of Lachy's hand, but he continued to hold her's gently offering only a sheepish smile when she looked up at him. Molly found herself mirroring his smile.

Lachy's friends were all gathered around a table, finishing what appeared to be the last of quite a few rounds of beer. If they'd noticed Lachy and Molly come in, they didn't let on. They were laughing and carrying on amongst themselves as a gentle Irish tine played over the speakers in the bar.

"So, um...Shall I walk you home?" Lachy asked Molly as they headed toward the front door. It was an excuse to spend just a bit more time with his new acquaintance, for he was just as reluctant as she was for the night to end.

"Hmm? Oh, um...Actually, I drove here." She reminded him. "But I'd love to have some company walking to my car."

And so the two stepped out once more into the chilly October air, once again allowing silence to fall over them. The walk to Molly's car was rather short, as she'd parked in one of the closer parking spaces in the lot. For a while, the two just stood there, looking at each other, almost as if they one was waiting for the other to speak. Finally, it was Molly who broke the silence. "I've had a wonderful night...Thanks again for saving me. God knows what could have happened if you hadn't seen him lace my drink."

Lachy shook his head. "No need to thank me. I'm just glad I saw it happen." He said, glancing down at their still joined hands.

"I'd let you keep it if I didn't need it." Molly said softly, repeating the words he'd said to her hours ago. She smiled as a hint of a blush colored the man's cheek's

"Ah, what a shame." He chuckled, rubbing his thumb over her palm before he reluctantly let go of her hand. "I suppose this is goodbye then?"

Molly shook her head. "Not so fast, Mr. Gillespie. Let me see your phone."

Lachy didn't question her, rather, he unlocked his phone and handed it to Molly. He watched as she typed for a moment before she handed it back to him. "What did you do?"

"You can't honestly expect me to leave here tonight without having given you my phone number, can you?" She questioned with a raised brow. "Feel free to text or call whenever you'd like." Molly wasn't usually this bold, but the idea of never speaking to Lachy again was something she didn't want to think about. And from the smile on Lachy's lips, it was evident he was in agreement.

The two hugged for a moment before parting their separate ways with a goodbye and a promise to talk soon. And just like that, the night was over. Lachy made his way back into the bar while Molly drove home in the wee hours of the morning.

They both went to sleep that night with the other on their mind...


	3. Late Night Conversations

Monday morning rolled around much quicker than Molly had anticipated and soon she found herself driving to work in an early morning rainstorm. She’d spent the rest of the weekend very much the same way she usually did, which included a little bit of lesson planning, grocery shopping, and a whole lot of Netflix. She’d like to say she didn’t check her phone ever so often, but that’d be a lie.She was anticipating a text from the man she’d gotten along so well with on Friday night, but it seemed she wouldn't hear from him the rest of the weekend

Molly arrived at the preschool 30 minutes before her shift, which gave her plenty of time before the children arrived to prep anything she needed for the day and to make sure her classroom was in correct order. It was also the time she spent talking to Hannah and Sophia, but this morning, she decided she would keep to herself. Of course she wouldn’t be so lucky. Hannah apparently noticed her absence and decided to come to her.

“Well, I’m sure glad you’re not dead. What happened to texting me when you got home?”

Molly’s eyes widened as she paused her task of filling the toddlers’ sippy cups with milk. She looked up at Hannah, her expression apologetic. “Oh, I forgot! I’m so sorry, I didn’t get home until 3:00 or so...I guess I just crashed once I got home.”

Hannah raised a brow. “3:00? You were out until 3:00?! Molly Grace!”

“What? I was having a good time…” Molly mumbled as she suddenly found interest in organizing the cups by color.

“Mhmm,I’m sure you were...” Hannah muttered.

“Oh it wasn’t like that and you know it. Lachy and I just talked and got to know each other. We took a walk on the beach and completely lost track of time…”

Hannah snorted in a poor attempt to hide her laugh. “I can’t believe you spent the afternoon with the Purple Wiggle…”

Molly raised a brow as she turned to place the cups in the fridge. “And what does that matter? If I remember correctly, that’s the whole reason we went to the pub in the first place, to see them? Which, by the way, you failed to mention when you begged me to go.”

“We didn’t think you’d go if we told you. But really Molly, you needed a night out with your friends. And I’m glad you had fun, but you kinda flaked on us. We didn’t see you all night. And when we did you were with that man. We wanted to spend time with you, and you blew us off to hang out with a guy you don’t even know...That’s not like you.”

Molly bit her lip. “At least he paid attention.” She mumbled.

“Excuse me?” Hannah’s voice was edged with anger.

Molly was tempted to not answer and to just let it go, but she just couldn’t. “I said at least he paid attention…” She turned to look at Hannah, who appeared shocked to say the least . “You and Sophie were so busy drinking and talking to each other that you didn’t even notice when I left the table. I wasn’t having fun, not even remotely until I met Lachy. So please, stop going on about it! If you had wanted to spend time with me so badly then you would have done it...” Molly couldn’t believe she’d just said that. A part of her regretted her words and was about to apologize, but the other part of her knew she was right, and from the look on Hannah’s face, she did too.

Hannah started to speak, but she seemed to have thought better of it, deciding instead to turn and walk out of the classroom without another word. Molly knew Hannah was pissed, but she wasn’t about to apologize for something she really wasn’t sorry for. So instead, she went about her day attempting to push the conversation from her mind which was rather easy to do with eight adorable distractions running amok in her classroom.

As it turned out, the rain continued to pour in Folly Beach, South Carolina, which meant the littles were once again cooped up inside. Thankfully, Molly had quite a few activities at her disposal to keep the toddlers busy. Of course, they got their 30 minutes of Wiggle Time before nap, which Molly found quite awkward to get through, if she was honest.But she kept herself busy with her planbook while the children sang along to their favorite songs.

Before she knew it, all the children had gone home, her classroom was back in order from the whirlwind that is eight toddlers, and she was on her way out the door and heading toward her car, completely ready to go home. Thankfully, she only had a fifteen minute drive from the school to her apartment complex, so she didn’t have to wait long.

At around 6:30, Molly stepped through the door of her 4th floor apartment with a tired sigh. She didn’t waste any time in locking her door and double checking it before she headed to her room for a change of clothes. After spending the work day in jeans, she was more than ready for the comfort of leggings and her favorite sweatshirt.

The air in South Carolina had grown a bit chilly over the last week with the arrival of autumn, thus her apartment had been cooler than usual. She hesitated to turn the heating unit on, what with how unpredictable southern weather could be, so she stayed warm with her cozy sweatshirts, fuzzy socks, and throw blankets she kept near her couch. Perfect for an evening in binge watching The Office, which is exactly what she’d planned on doing. She had no lesson plans to do, so the young woman didn’t feel the least bit guilty crashing on the couch.

As Molly settled on the couch, wrapped in her favorite quilt, she reached for the remote and launched Netflix. Though she’d watched the entire series through on more than one occasion, The Office has always been a favorite that she’d go back to again and again.It was the kind of silly comedy that was easy to get lost in. She tried to tell herself she wasn’t watching it as a distraction, but that would be a lie. She was definitely distracting herself from glancing at her phone over and over, or even sending Lachy a message on Instagram.

“You’re being stupid, Molly.” She chided herself as she flipped her phone screen down on the coffee table. “You won’t hear from him again and you know it. If he’d been the least bit interested in texting you, he’d have done it by now.” She had expected this, it didn’t mean she was any less disappointed…

Soon enough, Molly was completely immersed in the show, laughing as Jim and Dwight got up to their usual antics. She had forgotten all about her phone and Lachy, at least for the time being. That is, until her phone began to buzz with an incoming call.

Molly quickly reached for her phone, figuring it was her boss or Hannah wanting to talk to her about something work related. However, when she looked at the screen she was surprised to see a number she didn’t recognize. Her eyes widened and her heart began to heat a little faster “I wonder….” she murmured as her thumb hovered over the accept button. But it couldn’t be, could it? “No, it’s probably just a telemarketer.”

Molly let the call go to voicemail, but almost immediately her phone began to ring again. It was the same number. “If that’s a telemarketer, he’s certainly persistent…” Still yet, Molly let the call go to voicemail once more. If it was Lachy he’d call another time, right? She could have kicked herself for not getting his number when she gave him her’s.

“I could call the number back…” She mumbled to herself. What could it hurt? If it was a telemarketer, all she had to do was block the number and forget about it. Or she could leave it alone. But what if it was him?

While Molly was warring with herself, her phone began to buzz, this time signaling the arrival of a text. Molly knew it was ridiculous, but she had never clicked a notification so quickly in her life, especially when she realized the text was from the same exact number that called. She couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at her lips as she read the text.

_“Hello,is this Molly? This is Lachy from the other night.”_

Molly grinned as she read the message. So it WAS him. She wondered if she should reply or just call him. Knowing her and her general shyness, she knew a voice conversation could be potentially awkward despite the fact that there hadn’t really been a moment of awkwardness between them the other day. It was still surprising to her how comfortable she had felt with him, and a bit scary if she was honest. She hadn’t felt that comfortable around a guy since Asher.

“No, I’m not thinking about him.” She said firmly, shaking her head as she began to type out a reply to the text.

_“Hey, Stranger. :)”_

Molly couldn’t explain the butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she waited for a reply. She shouldn’t be this nervous. It was a few moments before another text came through.

 _“Oh, good! I thought you’d typed the wrong number in when you weren’t answering. And I realize I didn’t even think to give you my number or any of my social media handles before you left, which was stupid on my part...Wait..This is Molly, right? You’re not messing with me?_ ”

Molly giggled a bit as she read the text. She could almost hear him rambling as she read and reread the words.. For a moment she considered calling him rather than continuing their text conversation, just to hear his voice, but she thought better of it. “You’re getting ahead of yourself, Molly. You don’t really know this guy…” But she did know him. At least, she felt like she did, however impossible that was after only a few hours of conversation.

 _“Relax, it’s me. How have you been?”_ She questioned in another text.

A few moments passed with no reply, so Molly decided to step into the kitchen to get something to drink and see what she could make for dinner. Not that she really felt like cooking. Maybe she’d order something instead. Yeah, Chinese sounded good anyway.

Just as she finished placing an online order for delivery from her favorite Chinese place, another text from Lachy came through.

_“I’d say busy, but that’d be an understatement. We had three shows yesterday. And I managed to lose my phone somewhere between Folly Beach and Greenville, which is why I didn’t text before now. I’m sorry about that.”_

Molly frowned a bit. Losing a phone was always a hassle, she couldn’t even begin to imagine doing so in a different country. She wondered how difficult it had been for him to get another phone. Do they even have the same service carriers in Australia as they did here?

_“Oh, that sucks! Did you get a new one?”_

Molly knew that was a silly question. Of course he got a new phone, how else was he texting her? She bit her lip somewhat nervously as she turned her attention back to the tv while she waited for a response, though she was no longer interested in the show in the least. It wasn’t long before Lachy texted back.

_“It was a nightmare, but yes. And I thankfully got all my contacts back. But other than that, it hasn’t been too bad. And what about you? How have you been?”_

_“Oh, I can only imagine. I’m glad you got it sorted.”_ Molly replied. _“I’ve been good. I spent the rest of the weekend lesson planning and watching Netflix, so nothing too interesting.”_

“Netflix?” Was Lachy’s reply, which was quickly followed by another. _“Anything interesting?”_

Just as Molly was about to type out a response to Lachy, her doorbell rang, signalling the arrival of the Chinese she’d ordered and nearly forgotten about. So, with a small sigh, she set her phone down on the coffee table and went to answer the door. After paying the delivery guy, she shut and locked her door before heading to the kitchen. Realizing that she was anxious to continue her conversation with Lachy, she quickly grabbed a fork and her container of lo mein before hurrying back to her couch.

_“I watched the second season of The Crown over the weekend. Before you judge, it was only 10 episodes, so not too many.”_

_“No judgments here.”_ Was Lachy’s quick reply, _“Sometimes lazy sofa weekends with Netflix and comfy clothes are the best weekends. I look forward to having a few of those myself once we’re back home. So, what are some other shows you find binge worthy? I could do to add a few new titles to my watch list.”_

With her dinner completely forgotten, Molly dove into a conversation with Lachy over their favorite Netflix shows, finding that they shared quite a few favorites, including a mutual love for Friends. The discussion moved to movies and books they enjoyed, and then on to details about their personal lives like where they grew up and how many siblings they had.

Molly learned that Lachy was 33, almost 34 and was born in Brisbane, Australia where he still lived, and that he was the middle of three boys. In light of his love for musical theatre, Lachy had attended Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts where he received a bachelors in musical theatre before he was given a job with the Wiggles. He mentioned briefly that he was divorced, but he didn’t go into any detail about that, which Molly was grateful for. She didn’t feel they knew each other nearly well enough to go into details of past relationships. And she sure wasn’t comfortable enough to share any details about Asher with her new friend.

Likewise, Molly revealed that she’d been born in Northern California, but moved to Folly Beach with her parents at the age of two. She was an only child and she grew up helping her parents run their seaside inn after school and during the summer holidays. She attended college in Nashville, Tennessee, where she received her degree in early childhood before she returned to Folly Beach to work as a toddler teacher in the local preschool. She enjoyed her job, but the 29 year old seemed to feel stuck at times, and she admitted to Lachy that she felt a change would do her some good.

The two continued to text back and forth for hours, though it only felt like minutes to them. In fact. Molly hadn't even realized just how late it had gotten until her phone chimed at midnight to remind her to set her alarm for her usual 5:30 am wake up. She couldn’t help but feel disappointed when she realized that she’d have to call it a night if she had any hope of getting a half decent night of sleep. After all, a classroom full of wild toddlers was a challenge on a full eight hours, but on less than six? She knew she’d regret it if she didn’t sleep soon.

Reluctantly, Molly moved to her bedroom where she settled in her bed, but she didn’t put her phone away. She instead began to type out a text to bring the conversation to an end for the night.

 _“I can’t believe it’s so late. Unfortunately I have to work early tomorrow, so I should get some sleep.”_ She texted. It was now going on 12:30, and she still couldn’t figure out how it’d gotten so late so fast. “I guess losing track of time is easy when you’re having fun.” She murmured to herself as a smile tugged at her lips.

Molly was expecting a response in the form of a text, but she was quite surprised when it came in the form of a phone call. This time she didn’t hesitate to answer the phone.

“Hello...Lachy?” She questioned, her voice filled with slight confusion. Why was he calling her? She’d just mentioned that she needed sleep, and she was certain he needed it as well.

“Molly? Hey..” Lachy replied. He sounded a bit awkward as he spoke in a hushed tone. Molly would have almost thought he was trying to keep from waking someone up, but she could hear laughter and conversation in the background.

“Hey…” She repeated, still sounding as confused as ever. “Is everything alright? Why are you talking so quietly?”

“Huh? Oh yes, everything’s fine. We’re on the bus headed to Charlotte and everyone’s just having a bit of a laugh. I just, well, I wanted to tell you goodnight.” He admitted.

_“You just wanted to hear her voice, Lach! Don’t lie to yourself, mate!”_

Molly giggled a bit as she recognized the voice of Anthony calling out in the background. She could almost imagine a blush on Lachy’s cheeks as she heard him curse under his breath. “I take it he’s a bit tipsy?”

“Who, Anto? Nah, the cheeky bastard hasn’t had a drop. He doesn’t drink, he just likes to tease people.” Lachy replied, chuckling a bit.

“I see,” Molly murmured sleepily. “There must never be a dull moment with him.”

Lachy chuckled again at her words. “Not for a second.” He said, his voice once again hushed. “You sound sleepy, I’m sorry to have kept you up so late.” Lachy sounded apologetic, though Molly wasn’t sorry in the least.

“No, don’t be sorry. It wasn’t just you. I was enjoying our conversation and I guess I lost track of time.” She admitted. “But I really do need to sleep, 5:30 comes rather early. And besides, isn’t it passed your bedtime? I mean, I’m surprised you’re still awake now.” She teased. After all, Lachy’s character was well known for falling asleep often and at the drop of a hat.

There was silence for a second before Molly heard Lachy’s laughter carrying over the phone. “Probably so.” He mused. “I know with a class of toddlers to take care of, it’s most definitely passed your’s. We should be arriving at the hotel soon anyway. I’ll let you get some sleep now. Can I call you tomorrow?”

Molly felt her cheeks heat up in a blush. She could hear a hint of timidness in his voice when he’d asked to call again and should couldn’t help but smile a bit brighter. “Of course you can.” She answered as she attempted to hide a yawn. She was certain he’d heard it, though, as she heard him chuckling again. She was sleepier than she thought.

“You really are sleepy, aren’t you?”

“Well, I mean, I’m typically asleep before 10:00 on school nights. I know, I know, it’s a little ridiculous, but that’s the exciting life of a teacher.” Molly murmured.

“No, I can’t blame you really. Well, I won’t keep you awake any longer, then. Goodnight, Molly.” Lachy’s voice was almost in a whisper now, bringing a smile to Molly’s lips.

“Goodnight, Lachy.” She replied. She hesitated a moment before she ended the call and placed her phone on the nightstand. With a final sleepy sigh, she settled under the covers and closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall asleep yet again with thoughts of her new friend on her mind.


	4. An Unconventional Thanksgiving

As October turned into November, Lachy and Molly continued to get to know each other and quite quickly became close friends. Rarely did a day go by that they didn’t at least text, if not spend an hour or two in a phone call. Molly found it so easy to talk to Lachy, as if she’d known him much longer than nearly two months. In such a short time, he’d become Molly’s best friend, someone she could talk to about anything and everything, and she could hardly imagine life without him. 

Due to their busy work schedules, neither Lachy nor Molly knew when they’d get to see each other again, especially with the holidays coming up. At the end of November, the Wiggles tour in the States would be over and Lachy would be flying home to Australia. In fact, it was on Thanksgiving Day that Lachy was due to fly back to Brisbane. Molly couldn’t understand for the life of her why Anothony had decided to book flights on one of the busiest travel days of the year. Well, for the United States, at least. They were all bound to be stuck in the airport for hours.

Molly would spend Thanksgiving with her parents at the Seacliff Inn, as she did every year. Typically, there were a few guests spending the holiday there too, but this year not a single room had been booked, and for that, Molly was glad. This was the first Thanksgiving since her breakup with Asher, and the first one she’d be spending single in almost four years. It was both refreshing and depressing at the same time. 

As was tradition, Molly went grocery shopping with her mother the night before Thanksgiving and then returned to spend the night at the inn so she’d already be there to help with the cooking. However, as this year it was only herself and her parents, it wouldn’t be nearly as elebarote of a celebration. Molly and her mother would still cook Thanksgiving dinner, but the plan was to sleep in and have a lazy morning watching the parade and maybe a Christmas movie or two before any cooking was to be done. But of course, nothing ever goes to plan. 

Molly would have loved to sleep in, but at 6:30 on Thanksgiving morning she found herself completely wide awake. She blamed her inability to sleep on the fact that she was up before 6:00 a.m. on most mornings for work. Her body was just used to being awake at this time and it tended to happen on weekends as well. So, with a sigh Molly got out of bed and pulled on a pair of thick fuzzy socks before she made her way downstairs to the kitchen. If she was wide awake, she might as well make coffee. 

Before she stepped out of her room, Molly made sure to grab her phone. She knew Lachy didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, or at least, he didn’t celebrate the same time she did, but she thought she’d message him a Happy Thanksgiving anyway. Besides, she knew that he was already at the airport waiting for his 8:30 a.m. flight. 

“If it even leaves by then, that is…” She muttered to herself as she curled up on the love seat in her parent’s private living room, coffee in hand. Once she was settled she began to type out a text to Lachy. 

“Good Morning And Happy Thanksgiving!”

While Molly waited for a reply, she sipped her coffee and scrolled through some of her social media apps, though she didn’t have to wait too long. Soon her phone began to buzz with not a text but a call from Lachy. She smiled a bit as she accepted the call. “Hello?”

“You’re certainly up early. What happened to sleeping in, hmm?” Lachy questioned. “Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, by the way.”

“Well, you know, it’s another side effect of being a teacher. I’m almost always up before the sun. It’s a curse, my days of sleeping in are few and far between.” She replied. “You’re already at the airport, I take it?”

“It’s all the coffee you drink, you can’t convince me otherwise. I swear you drink more coffee than any person I know, Molls. You’re addicted.” Lachy’s voice held a teasing tone despite the fact that he was absolutely right. “ And I am, yes. The others, however, are not. There’s talk of bad weather out west that will delay some flights or possibly cancel some, so Anthony suggested staying in the U.S. through the weekend rather than being cooped up in an airport for God knows how long..”

“Hey, don’t you ‘Luke Danes’ me Lachlan Gillespie! There are worse things in this world to be addicted to than coffee, you know.” Molly mused, smirking slightly, though her smirk faded as she heard him explain about the bad weather. “Why aren’t you with them?” Surely he wanted to be with his friends rather than spending hours in the airport. 

There was a deep sigh on the other end before Lachy began to speak once more. “I’m just ready to be home in Brisbane, Molls. Don’t get me wrong, I love being here, but, I miss my family and my dog, and sleeping in my own bed ...” His voice trailed off. 

In all of the many phone conversations Molly had had with Lachy over the last couple of months, she’d never heard him sound as tired as he did at that moment. She couldn’t blame Lachy for being tired and homesick, especially after he’d been on tour since early August with very little down time. Anyone would be exhausted after that. 

“I’m sure you are, Lach. I couldn’t imagine being away from home for so long. Any news about delays for you flight?” 

“Not yet, so I’m assuming no news is good news? I hope so, at least…” He replied, “My flight is due to leave at 8:30, so I’m guessing…” Molly heard Lachy’ pause for a moment before he sighed once again. “Well, scratch that, it’ll be leaving at 2:45 p.m. now. They just posted a delay on the screen.”

Molly glanced at the clock above the television on the wall and bit her lip. It was only around 7:15 a.m., so she knew he had quite a wait in store for him. “Well, so much for luck, huh? Where are you flying out from again? If you haven’t gone through security yet, maybe I could come and sit with you while you wait. I know it’s not the most fun thing to wait in an airport all alone.” 

“I haven’t gone through security just yet, but I’ll be fine. It’s a holiday, Molly, you should be with your parents. And who knows..Maybe I’ll get lucky and the flight will leave earlier. Let’s just hope no Little Wiggles spot me... “

Molly opened her mouth to reply when she was interrupted by her mother. “Molly Grace? Who on God’s green earth are you talking to this early?”

Molly turned to look at her mother and shook her head, mouthing “I’ll tell you later.” To which her mother just shook her head and continued into the kitchen to presumably pour herself a cup of coffee. 

“Speaking of parents, that sounds like your mum? You know, it is rude to call someone before 9:00 a.m. Molly Grace...” Lachy teased. 

Molly rolled her eyes. “Excuse me, sir, you’re the one who called me!”

“Yes, but you texted me first, so the blame still falls on you.”

Molly shook her head. “Well, you were awake anyway. Had I known you weren’t at the airport, I’d have never texted you that early.”

Lachy chuckled a bit. “Are you sure about that? It isn’t the first time you’ve texted me at the crack of dawn, you know. Though to be fair, I do have a tendency to keep you awake with phone calls and texts way past your bedtime, don’t I?” Lachy chuckled once more as Molly hummed in agreement. “ I guess it’ll get worse once I‘m actually home. There’s a 14 hour time difference between South Carolina and Brisbane.”

Molly wrinkled her nose at this information. She still wasn’t excited about that. Once Lachy was back in Australia their conversations would be limited to Skype, and only when they were both awake and free from work. “We’ll figure something out.” She said softly. 

“We will.” Lachy agreed before breathing another weary sigh. “I should let you go. It’s thanksgiving, you should be spending time with your parents. I should also go see if there’s anything I can do about getting my flight switched.”

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Let me know if anything changes.” Molly replied. She knew the chance of Lachy getting an earlier flight was rather slim, at least one with minimal connections. But she wouldn’t say that out loud, she figured he knew as well as she did. 

“I will.” Lachy promised. “Have a happy Thanksgiving, Molly.” 

“You too. Feel free to call or text whenever you’d like today. I know it can’t be fun sitting in that airport all day alone.” 

“Oh, you’re not getting rid of me that easily. You might just be my source of sanity in all of the boredom I’m sure to face.” Lachy chuckled. What he didn’t know was that his words brought a slight blush to Molly’s cheeks, though she’d deny it. “But I’ll definitely call you once I know when my flight leaves.”

“You’re sanity? Are you sure about that?” Molly shook her head despite the fact that Lachy couldn’t see it. 

“Quite sure.” Was Lachy’s reply. “Now go talk to your mum! Bye Molly. “

“Okay, okay.” Molly laughed. “Bye Lach.” And with that she hit the “end” button before standing from the couch and heading into the kitchen where she found her mother already working on breakfast. 

“It’s about time you got off the phone. Who were you talking to?” Sarah asked as she gestured toward a carton of eggs. “Care to crack those for me?”

Molly nodded and began to crack the eggs for her mother’s breakfast casserole. It only occurred to her right then that she hadn’t mentioned Lachy to her parents. Though, there really wasn’t a reason for her to have told them about him, was there? He was, after all, just a friend. “Oh no one, just a new friend.” She replied. 

“What’s his name?” Sarah questioned with a raised brow. 

Molly shook her head. “Mom...I never said it was a guy.”

“I know you Molly Grace, your cheeks were blushed when you came in here. Are you talking to Asher again? Oh I hope so, you were so well suited. “

Molly tensed a bit at the mentioning of Asher and she shook her head. “There’s not a snowball’s chance I’ll ever speak to  
him again, Mom. I mean it. Asher and I are over and that’s all there is to it. “

Molly heard her mother sigh before she spoke again. “I wish you’d tell me what went wrong with him. Everything seemed so perfect between you. And the wedding was so close…” 

“Mom, please. That’s enough. I don’t want to talk about him, okay? He’s very much a part of my past. And I’d prefer to leave him there.”

“Okay, fair enough. I’m sorry I brought him up.” Sarah said as she continued to fry sausage on the griddle. “That still doesn’t answer my question. Who’s your friend?”

Molly couldn’t stop herself from grinning even if she wanted to. “Well, his name is Lachy. And before you start, we’re just friends. I met him earlier last month At McGuire’s and we sorts just clicked?”

“McGuire’s? What were you doing there, you never go to McGuire’s…” Sarah sounded skeptical as she gave her only daughter a look. 

Molly shrugged and reached for a whisk to begin beating the eggs. “Hannah and Sophie invited me to go with them and I agreed.” She chose to leave out the details of the drugged drink, it wasn’t necessary and would only worry her mother. “I bumped into him at the bar and we struck up a conversation. We exchanged numbers before we left and...yeah, we’ve been talking ever since and we’ve become really good friends.” 

“You exchanged numbers? That’s really not like you. It took you forever to talk to…” Sarah paused, realizing she was about to bring up Asher again to her daughter. “Sorry Molly…”

Molly shrugged and shook her head. “It’s okay. Um, where do you want these?”

Sarah pointed to a glass casserole dish that already had a few other ingredients in it. “Pour them in there, top it with cheese, and slide it in the oven.”

Molly nodded and did as she was told before she set about making another cup of coffee. “He’s actually stuck at the airport today. That’s why I was on the phone with him so early. He’s flying home to Australia, but his flight has been delayed. He was supposed to leave at 8:30 but they’ve pushed it back to…”

“Australia?” Sarah’s voice held a skeptical tone once more. “Why was he in Folly Beach?”

Molly smirked a bit. “He was here with his band…”

“Band? Is that why you were at the pub in the first place?”

Molly shrugged. “Kinda?”

“Molly Grace!”

“What?” Molly questioned with an air of innocence in her voice. All the while, she was hiding a smirk from her mother. “There is nothing wrong with being in a band. They’re actually kind of good. They sing Irish and Scottish Folk music. They’re called the Unusual Commoner’s, I think..Come on, Mom, what is it?”

Sarah was silent for a moment as she moved to the task of slicing fresh fruit. “Nothing, it’s just...Meeting a guy in a bar, exchanging numbers with him, getting close to him despite the fact that he lives in halfway across the world. That’s not like you, Molly. I’m just concerned is all. I don’t want you getting hurt again.”

Molly bit her lip as she listened to her mother. “It’s different with Lachy...I can’t explain it. We’re only friends, Lord knows I’m not anywhere near ready for a relationship with anyone. But like I said, we clicked..I couldn’t leave that bar that night without giving him my number. And I’m so glad I did.” She smiled a bit as she moved to help Sarah with the fruit. “He’s become my best friend. I know, it sounds crazy, I’ve known him less than two months, but I can’t imagine not having him in my life. That’s crazy, right?”

Sarah glanced at her daughter from the corner of her eye and smirked slightly. “No, I wouldn’t say that’s crazy at all. I’d say you’re in lo..”

“Stop right there! I’m not in love with him, Mom.” Molly said firmly. “I’ll say this once again, we’re just friends. And that’s all we’ll ever be.”

“You said yourself you clicked with him, you can tell him anything? Sounds like love to me.”

“I’ve known him less than two months.” Molly sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes

“Love at first sight is a real thing, I don’t care what you say. “ Sarah chimed in.

Molly shook her head in almost disbelief. “This isn’t some Hallmark Christmas movie, mom. People don’t fall in love in two months.”

“They do if they’re soulmates...Do you mind grabbing the strawberries from the fridge?”

Molly, however, didn’t move to grab the strawberries as she was asked, but rather she stood and stared at her mother in shock. “You’re delusional! Soul mates? There’s no such thing…Lachy and I are not soulmates...we’re not in love, we’re just friends and that is all we’ll ever be.” She muttered. She finally moved from her spot to grab the berries her mother had requested. 

Sarah continued to smirk as she took the box of strawberries from Molly’s hand. “Okay, whatever you say.” She said with a shrug. 

“We’re not!” Molly said firmly. It was at that moment that her phone began to buzz, signalling an incoming call. She grabbed the phone from the counter to see that Lachy was calling her, just as she’d guessed. 

“Speak of the devil…” Sarah mumbled as she send a mischievous grin toward Molly, who did her best to ignore it. 

“Mom..” Molly rolled her eyes as she hit the accept button and held the phone to her ear. “Hello?” The smile that lit her face didn’t go unnoticed by her mother, even if Molly wasn’t aware of it herself. However, the smile faded into a frown as Lachy began to speak. 

“Hey..I have a bit of bad news. It seems my flight has been cancelled due to the winter storm in Colorado. Not sure when I can get another flight out of here.” Lachy sighed. “It’ll be Monday at least, if I’m lucky.”

Molly bit her lip. “So, you’re stuck in the airport?” She questioned. 

“Well, that’s one option. I thought about booking a hotel for a couple of days in Savannah until I can book another flight. Thankfully, all my clothes were packed in my carry on suitcase.. My work trunk has already been shipped back with the others…”

Molly frowned as she thought of Lachy spending the weekend alone in Savannah when he really wanted to be home. Especially not Thanksgiving weekend. Despite the fact that he didn’t celebrate, it still bothered her that he be alone. Especially when he was so close to Folly Beach “Don’t be silly Molly…” She thought. “You haven’t known him nearly long enough to even propose the idea of him coming here…” But damn her mouth and brain for not being on the same page. Before she could stop herself, she was asking him to do just that. “Why not come here?”

There was silence for a moment and Molly could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Finally, Lachy spoke up. “Molly, I couldn’t do that. It’s Thanksgiving, it’s a time for family. I couldn’t impose... “

“And friends. You shouldn’t be by yourself. My parents own an inn, and there’s no one staying here this week. I could come and pick you up from the airport…” She offered. 

Molly could hear her mom clearing her throat behind her, no doubt trying to get her attention, but she ignored her as she waited for Lachy’s response. In all truth, she wanted to see him and she hoped he’d agree. 

“Molly, are you sure about this? I really don’t want to interrupt your holiday.” 

“I wouldn’t have asked you if I wasn’t sure. You said you’re at the airport in Savannah, right? I’m only a couple of hours away. I could be there by…” she looked at the clock, seeing it was now about 8:00. “Probably around 10:30.”

There was a pause once more before Lachy finally spoke again. “Okay, That sounds really nice actually. Thank you.” 

The two worked out a few details of where they’d meet and what color and make her car was before they said goodbye. As soon as Molly hung up, she turned to head upstairs to her old room, but she was stopped by her mother. 

“I take it we’re having a guest after all, then?” Sarah questioned with a raised brow. 

Molly was once again biting her lip, a habit she’d had since she was a child. An apologetic expression was on her face. “Mom, I…”

Sarah shook her head, holding her hand up, though a warm smile tugged at her lips. “You don’t have to explain yourself Molly. You go get ready and I’ll make sure a room is ready when you get back. You’d better hurry! You told him you’d be there by 10:30, and traffic is going to be a mess!”

Molly grinned. “Thank you!” She exclaimed as she bolted up the stairs to her room to get ready. The entire time her stomach fluttered with butterflies she couldn’t quite explain. She knew one thing, though. She couldn’t wait to see the man she’d grown so close to in the past two months. She only wondered if he was just as excited to see her...


	5. Your Eyes Feel Like Home

Molly groaned in frustration as she slowed her car to a stop yet again. It was 10:15 and she was still quite a long way from the airport. There was no way she’d arrive by 10:30 as she’d promised. At first, the traffic hadn’t been so bad at all, and the interstate was virtually empty, but when she drove into Georgia, there seemed to be more and more cars on the road, all of them driving slower than usual until traffic came to a complete standstill. It appeared that there was a multi-car accident just ahead, causing a traffic jam. Molly thought the wreck had been cleared away when traffic started to flow slowly, but now she was stopped again for Lord knows how long. 

Once she was certain she was stopped for a while, Molly reached for her phone from the center console and sent a quick text to Lachy explaining what was going on and apologizing that she’d be late. She didn’t receive a reply, though she really didn’t expect to. Signal was horrible where she was, and she wasn’t sure if the text would go through or not She just hoped he didn’t think she’d forgotten about him.

It wasn’t until about an hour and a half later that Molly finally arrived at the airport, which was as she expected, a complete madhouse. There were cars everywhere and people walking back and forth from the parking lot, seemingly in a hurry to get to one place or another. 

Molly bit her lip nervously as she searched for a parking spot. She was supposed to meet Lachy at the front entrance of the airport, and normally she’d have just pulled into the drop off area, but it was completely lined with cars. Finally, Molly found a space to park, though it wasn’t very close to the entrance. 

As she walked briskly from her car to the front entrance of the airport, Molly sent a quick text to Lachy that she was there and on her way inside. She hadn’t received any texts since the last one she’d sent, which pretty much confirmed her suspicion that the text hadn’t gone through. “Great...He probably thinks I’m not coming.” She muttered to herself as she glanced both ways before crossing the street between the building and the parking lot. She didn’t slow her pace as she hurried inside and searched for the spot they’d agreed to meet at; a tall Christmas tree just to the left of the entrance doors. 

“Ah, there it is..” She thought as she made her way toward the brightly lit and colorfully decorated tree. Her eyes scanned the area for a familiar head of brown curls, but he was nowhere to be seen. Molly wasn’t aware of the frown that tugged at her lips as she circled the tree in hopes that he’d be on the other side, but to no avail. Where was he?

After a few more moments of searching around the area, Molly decided to call him to see where he was, however, just as she was about to select his name in the recent call list, a text notification appeared at the top of the screen. It was from Lachy. Molly couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief as she anxiously clicked the notification.

“Turn around…”

Confused, Molly looked to her left and right before she turned to look behind her, and to her own surprise, her breath hitched as her eyes met his. A smile played at his lips, though an expression she couldn’t quite name was evident in his eyes as the two stood frozen in place not even five feet apart from each other. In that moment, Molly found herself realizing just how much she’d missed him. Seeing his smile as their gazes met felt so familiar, almost as if she were home, though at the time she didn't realize it. Unbeknown to her, he was thinking the exact same thing.

The two stood, gazes locked for what seemed like ages before Molly finally broke the spell, the smile that had lit her face quickly transforming into an apologetic expression. “Lachy, I am so, so sorry. Traffic was awful, and I got stuck behind an accident for ages...I tried texting you, but the signal was horrible and I don’t think the text went through, I…” 

Molly’s rambling apology was silenced by Lachy as he stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. “Hey, none of that...There’s no need to apologize, I’m just glad you got here safely.” He murmured as he pulled away slightly, though his arms were still wrapped around her. “And I’m sorry you went through all this trouble…”

Molly wasn’t expecting the hug, but she found herself hugging him back, hesitant to let go. “It wasn’t any trouble at all, really.” She said softly as she looked up to meet his gaze. The smile that had graced her lips upon seeing him had returned, mirroring Lachy’s smile. Molly seemed lost for words for a moment before she finally snapped out of whatever daze had befallen her, clearing her throat as she pulled away completely from Lachy’s embrace. “So, shall we?” She asked as she gestured toward the doors. “My mom will be expecting us home soon, especially since she doesn’t know I’ve run a tad late.”

Lachy nodded before reaching down to pick up a medium sized duffel bag, which Molly assumed was his carry on. “In that case, best not keep your mama waiting, Molly Beth.” He teased as the two began to make their way toward the doors. 

“Hey, wait till you meet her and you’ll understand what I mean. My mother is the biggest worry wart this side of the Mississippi. I wish I were joking…” Molly mused, her tone rather serious. And it was true. Her mother spent more time worrying about this and that, and especially about Molly. The young woman supposed that’s where the had inherited her own tendency to worry and stress over the smallest thing. Poor Lachy had had to listen to quite a few of Molly’s little worries over the last couple of months, though he didn’t once complain. He always listened patiently and offered advice when he could, never brushing her off as being silly. 

“I believe you….From what I can tell, the apple doesn’t fall from the tree.” He mused as he set his bag in The back seat of Molly’s car before sliding into the passenger seat. His tone was only lightly teasing, which earned a small smile from Molly. 

“You’re probably right…” she slid the key into the ignition and turned the engine over. “I’ll warn you in advance, I’m a bit of an aggressive driver. That’s what happens when you learn to drive in a tourist town, I guess.”. 

Lachy’s expression was one of skepticism and maybe just a little bit of fear. He let out a nervous chuckle after a moment, still unsure whether Molly was joking or being completely serious. Or maybe both? “Molly Beth, if you kill us…”

Molly shook her head. “Oh, just buckle your seatbelt, you’ll be alright.” She teased before she backed out of the parking spot and made her way toward the exit of the parking lot. 

The next two hours were well spent in comfortable conversation between the two as Molly drove them to her parent’s seaside inn. Lachy’s apprehension of her driving was all but forgotten before they even pulled on the main road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this chapter is so late! Real life happened and finding the time to update was quite difficult, however I’m going to try to be better about that. If you’re still sticking around, thank you for your patience!


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